1. Field of Invention
This invention relates to oral hygiene devices and more particularly to a system of oral hygiene devices of various configurations designed for improved cleaning of the mouths of a wide variety of individual patients.
2. Description of the Prior Art
It is currently recognized that while it is desirable with each brushing of the teeth to remove as much bacterial plaque as possible from the interproximal spaces and from beneath the free gingival margin as well as from the surfaces of the teeth, the bacteria in the plaque which are responsible for tooth decay and gingival deterioration are inactivated for periods of time up to twenty-four hours by isolation of the bacteria from their grouping in a plaque form, that is, by disturbing the plaque formed on the teeth and breaking up the grouping of the bacteria. Accordingly, it is being urged that teeth be brushed in a rotary motion in an attempt to reach beneath the free gingival margin rather than in a reciprocating movement parallel to the occlusal plane and also by such rotary motion to avoid tooth structure erosion caused by reciprocating brushing.
Inasmuch as the structures of the toothbrushes currently available do not promote the use of the desired rotary brushing motion nor provide means to facilitate reaching into the interproximal spaces and beneath the free gingival margin, there is a present need to provide a toothbrush which will not only discourage brushing parallel to the occlusal plane and encourage as well as facilitate the desirable rotary brushing movement, but will also provide means for reaching the interproximal spaces and beneath the free gingival margin.
Several proposals have been advanced to provide increased access to interproximal and free gingival margin areas of teeth. Significant among these is U.S. Pat. No. 4,209,871 to Ernest, that patent being hereby incorporated by reference. While the above-mentioned U.S. Pat. No. 4,209,871 discloses a toothbrush having a head which provides increased accessability to the teeth, the specialized nature of the brush head meant that it would be difficult to provide the brush in a wide variety of configurations.
Additionally, a good home dental program may require the use of different toothbrush designs. For example, if a patient brushed twice daily, he may wish to use a brush which is adapted to maximize cleaning of gingival areas in the morning and use a brush which maximizes cleaning of interproximal areas before he retires. In certain instances, a dentist may wish to prescribe the use of a certain type of toothbrush, such as a toothbrush designed to treat certain periodontal disorders.
While the primary function of a toothbrush is cleaning, toothbrushes are notoriously septic by their very nature. Macro and microscopic particles are often lodged between bristles. Likewise, particularly in humid climates, the bristles tend to remain septically moist for long periods of time at room temperatures, often until the next use of the toothbrush.
People have used various techniques in order to avoid septic conditions. In addition to vigorously rinsing the toothbrush before and after each use, people often use multiple toothbrushes, permitting a longer period of inactivity to exist between uses of a particular toothbrush. Septic conditions have also discouraged the use of toothbrush designs in which large amount of bristles are used because these large amounts of bristles makes it difficult to obtain dry condition of the toothbrush head.
Various disposable toothbrush designs have been advanced in the prior art. Notable among these is U.S. Pat. No. 4,227,275 to Ginsburg, et al., invented in part by one of the co-inventors of the present invention; that patent being hereby incorporated by reference.
The above-mentioned U.S. Pat. No. 4,227,276 discloses the use of a removable handle which may be re-formed when heated in hot water. This presents a partial solution to another problem in the prior art, that is the custom tailoring of toothbrush handles to the individual user.
While particular shapes of toothbrush handles may be more desirable, it may be also desirable to provide toothbrush handles which may be of particular highly specialized or expensive variety with the brushes being disposable.
It may also be desired to provide toothbrushes with handles which would be used for a variety of user applications. For example, if a user desired to use a toothbrush while spending the night away from home, she may wish to have the convenience of portability. She may also wish to have the convenience of using a particular toothbrush head configuration. If she is visiting someone whom she knows has an electric toothbrush handle, she may wish to have a handle which, if circumstances allow, permit her to attach her toothbrush to the electric toothbrush handle in conditions which are reasonable aseptic.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,994,039 discloses various methods for brushing teeth, that patent being hereby incorporated by reference. These methods include various combinations of back-and-forth movement and vertical brush movement designed to effectively clean the teeth and provide circulation at the gingival margin. In a similar matter, electric toothbrushes have been designed to provide various brush movements, primarily in an attempt to provide brushing action recommended by dentists. These include, in addition to vertical and horizontal movements, vertical rolling movements and combinations of horizontal and rolling movements. Recently, a short circular movement has received widespread acceptability in the dental profession. These diverse movements have been generally designed to be used with a single brush, usually having a simple rectangular or round shape, with little attention to improving brush design as well.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,399,582 issued to the present co-inventors discloses a toothbrush system wherein a plurality of disposable heads may be inserted into a disposable stem. The system permits the head and stem designs to be custom tailored to an individual patient's needs relative to mouth size, brushing comfort and dental and periodontal needs.
Although numerous toothbrush designs have been suggested in the above-cited patents, there is no disclosure relating to an oral hygiene system wherein a handle can be used with a plurality of detachable heads to provide the user with a total system of dental care whereby the user may clean his/her teeth using particular brushes, floss the teeth using a dental floss holder and examine the teeth using a dental mirror.